


In Case You Don't Live Forever

by mediocre_writer921



Category: Escape the Night (Web Series), The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: 27th Hunger Games, Angst, Blood, Death, District 1 (Hunger Games), District 10 (Hunger Games), District 11 (Hunger Games), District 12 (Hunger Games), District 2 (Hunger Games), District 3 (Hunger Games), District 4 (Hunger Games), District 5 (Hunger Games), District 6 (Hunger Games), District 7 (Hunger Games), District 8 (Hunger Games), District 9 (Hunger Games), Everybody Dies, Everyone Needs A Hug, Gore, Grief/Mourning, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-19 07:08:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29871000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mediocre_writer921/pseuds/mediocre_writer921
Summary: A one-shot based off of my best friend Eden's Broken Kingdoms.Loved ones of our favorite tributes fell victim to the Games the years prior... but what happened in their Games?May the odds ever be in your favor and may the 27th Annual Hunger Games begin!
Relationships: Jc Caylen & Andrea Russett, Matthew Patrick/Stephanie Patrick, Safiya Nygaard/Tyler Williams
Kudos: 5





	In Case You Don't Live Forever

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GothixBat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothixBat/gifts).



**District Five**

**Reaping Day**

_~~~_

The most wonderful day of the year has arrived, the day where all of Panem gets to watch 24 children get picked to murder each other and then die themselves. Talk about murder equality, especially when this is considered to be child slaughter.

The day was gloomy and grey, the perfect weather for a tragic day. Citizens milled about the streets, going on with their normal business, but there was a wild frenzy in their eyes. A sense of fear as they wandered around, lingering in place for a fraction longer, as if their lives depended on it. Every year, it was like this, this aura of desperation hanging above the district like a heavy cloud. But the Capitol took only those who were between their twelfth and eighteenth year, when they could neither disguise themselves as children nor true adults.

All that was needed a little rain to represent the tears that would be shed tonight as two families weep as the rest of the District celebrates, comforted that they're spared for another year.

A pair of brown eyes scanned the crowd as they made their way towards Town Square, watching them all glumly wander about, waiting for the Reapings to commence. As villainous as it sounded, the Victor hoped that it would be two older tributes this year, rather than younger ones. Younger competitors never made it far in the Games, given their age paints a target on their backs.Seriously, let her know when someone remembers the last time a twelve-year-old made it past day one.

She tried not to dawdle on those who could feasibly be her next trainees, those who she would take under her wing. But at the same time, she couldn't help it. The Hunger Games were virtually a death sentence. A mockery of the Rebellion that happened just a few years before she was born.

It was sick and cruel, how the Capitol saw these people as pawns in their Games. These kids were sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends, lovers and so much more. Yet today was the day where it could all be taken away.Today was the day where these kids will either be remembered forever, or forgotten forever. 

The young woman who looked to be around her early twenties closed the window of the curtain, blocking the view of the dreary sight, no longer wanting to see it. She was rather on the shorter side, maybe 5'3ish with dark, jet-black hair falling to her collarbones. The woman spun on her heel, shoes clacking rhythmically on the wooden floor.

8 years. 8 years of this living hell. And there were so, so many more to come. Plastering on a neutral face, Alana Astaroth walked out of her house in Victor's Village and awaited the next two tributes whose lives were to be entrusted in her hands.

~~~

**District Seven**

~~~

Ah, District Seven. The home of many, many trees and raging homosexuals.

The alarms are blaring, telling the potential tributes to assemble in front of the Justice Building. A woman who was about twenty-seven or so with a scar blooming from her neck that appeared to be a mix between a bite mark and a claw. A pair of grey eyes looked around at the parents through the doors, who looked at their children sadly. They have lived through this their whole lives, just as she has. The only difference is that Alison doesn't have to fear she'll lose a loved one or that she'll be Reaped, she has to fear that she'll fail the children that are sent to an arena where they have to be turned into a piece of someone else's Games.

The lines come into view now. Everyone must sign in with a finger prick and go stand by age and gender. Almost everyone was in place now, the Reapings almost beginning. Alison steps away from the doors of the Justice Building, mentally preparing herself as she approached Janet Wilson, the escort for District Seven. As usual, she wore red, green and beige. Her bush of a mane was long and brown, red and green streaks weaving through it. Dramatic makeup decorated her features, it was almost like she was a living and breathing Christmas tree. A fake one, of course.

"You didn't rig the pool again, did you Wilson?" Alison queried, raising an eyebrow.

Janet rolled her eyes, fluffing up her hair as she looked at her reflection in her small compact mirror. "Of course not, what makes you think that? Did you want me to?"

"It's against the rules to manipulate the outcomes of the Reapings, you know that!" Alison hissed. "What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing darling, I'm just doing my job, unlike you. Haven't produced a Victor since you've won the Games, have you?" Janet smiled knowingly like the Cheshire Cat and Alison scowled, clenching her fists. "Don't make this about me," the mentor growled.

The escort put a hand on her shoulder and feigned a sympathetic expression. "Oh Alison, don't make it personal. I'm trying to provide the Capitol with a good show." The Victor smacked it away, letting her fangs show. "Don't touch me. And they're all just kids, not pieces of your games. They didn't ask to be put in this position."

"Well, their parents did have the option to either take birth control or wear a condom." She smirked and sashayed off.

~~~

"War, terrible war. Widows, orphans, a motherless child. This was the uprising that rocked our land. Thirteen districts rebelled against the country that fed them, loved them, protected them. Brother turned on brother until nothing remained..." President Nicholas Crystal narrated as the documentary that was played annually. Practically a requirement at this point.

"And then came the peace, hard fought, sorely won. The people rose up from the ashes and a new era was born. But freedom has a cost and the traitors were defeated. We swore as a nation we would never know this treason again."

Some people had terror on their faces as their eyes were glued to the screen. A few appeared to be bored and a handful seemed to be eager to see which dimwit would be sent to their deaths, placing bets on who would get in and what their odds would be. It was a repulsive sight, to watch adults fear for their children, to have little ones see such horrors that they couldn't understand, to see the older children wait and see if it was their turn to die.

"And so it was decreed, that each year, the various districts of Panem would offer up in tribute, one young man and woman, to fight to the death in a pageant of honor, courage and sacrifice. The lone victor bathed in riches, would serve as a reminder of our generosity and our forgiveness. This is how we remember our past. This is how we safeguard our future."

Janet whispered along with it quietly and as the film concluded, plastered on a wicked grin. "What an inspiring film, don't you think folks?" She giggled and then said, "Now, as I formally welcome you to the 27th Annual Hunger Games, let us begin the Reapings! My favorite part! And as always, we begin with the ladies!"

The citizens of District Seven were mum as the Capitol escort placed a hand in the girls' bowl, full of hundreds, if not thousands of names written on green leaves. She plucked a piece of paper with her long red nails and cleared her throat.

"Anna Russett!"

In the distance, a mother's cry could be heard from the crowd, pleading for somebody to switch places with her daughter.

"Anna Russett! Come up sweetie!" Janet cooed and eventually, a brown-haired girl with bright blue eyes stepped out from the fifteen-year-old section, the blood drained from her face, leaving her looking like a deer in headlights.  
Her fists were balled up, resting at her side, she took stiff steps towards the stage.

"Anna, no!" a younger girl cried who was a few years younger, no doubt her sister from how strikingly alike they were. Her voice rang out through the eerily silent square as she tried to run this, trying to find some way to stop this madness. Anna spun on her heel, hearing her name. But before she could reach her, hands outstretched, a blond, curly-haired boy who seemed to be about Anna's age held her back, picking her up and hauling her back.

"ANNA!" Andrea yelled, trying to break free. "You're going to get both of us killed if you do anything stupid," the boy warned.

The tribute took a deep breath, meeting eyes with her younger sister one last time, whispering, "I'm sorry," before turning her back and getting into the stage.

"Well that was dramatic," the escort cracked, but no one laughed as Janet practically shoved the microphone in front of her. "How old are you, Anna?"

"Fifteen," she managed to get out, forcing a anguished smile as she coerced eye contact with the cameras, tears glistening in her eyes that were threatening to spill.

"A big round of applause for our newest tribute!" She gestures for everyone to clap, but no one did. Why would they?

Janet didn't like that and her smile collapsed into an irritated frown. Then she grinned again, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she got an idea. "It's a little quiet here today, isn't it? Well, let's fix that, shall we?"

As she stalked towards the boys' bowl, heels suddenly deafeningly loud, she declared, "I will pick up two names from the boys' bowl and you will cheer for each individually. The tribute with the most cheers will be sent into the arena with lovely little Anna over here."

This announcement strikes up a conversation in the mob, and Alison shot out of her seat, but was held back by the Mayor.

"She can't do this!" Alison protested and he answered calmly, "It's technically not against the rules."

"This is sick."

Janet held up two leaves in each of her hand, reading out loud, "Silver Wires and Pepito Lowell! Come on up boys!"

Two pairs of footsteps came up and they stood side by side, the latter of the two announced going first.

"I'm twelve," Pepito said weakly, stepping away, his hands trembling. He was afraid, but didn't bother masking it.

"I'm fourteen," Silver stated, suddenly aware that she wasn't joking.

"Wonderful! Now, let's hear it for Pepito Lowell!"

Silence.

Janet pursed her lips. "Fine, what about Silver Wires?"

Crickets.

"Well if you're not going to ask them, why don't we just kill them both right here, right now?" she sneered, no longer playing nice and two Peacekeepers cocked their guns, putting it against the boy's heads. There were terrified murmurs and Janet repeated, clenching her teeth, "I'm going to repeat this once only. Let's. Hear. It. For. Pepito."

There were a few forced claps. Satisfied, the escort brightened and said, "Now for Silver!"

The cheer was still weak, but much louder than it had been for the younger boy. Even after that, the Peacekeepers didn't remove the guns. "Then it's settled. Silver will be sent into the Games and will be the boy tribute for this year's Hunger Games. Now, _everyone_ give a round of applause for Anna Russett and Silver Wires."

Being coerced to cheer, cheer they did.

~~~

**Bloodbath Day**

**The Capitol**

~~~

Vanessa popped open a wine bottle and poured some into the glasses, offering one to Aurora as she sat on the empty seat next to her best friend, kicking her heels off. "It's too early to get drunk and Alana will definitely yell at us, but who cares about what Alana thinks?" the older blonde groused and Aurora chuckled, taking the glass. "Least you're from Two, the Capitol's golden child. She's from Five and... well, the Capitol really doesn't care about them unless it has something to do with electricity."

The Victor made a clicking sound with her tongue as she took a swig. "Good point, good point. Regardless of which District we come from, I think we can all agree that it's never fun to watch the Games, so might as well get wasted."

"I enjoy watching 24 children murder each other, what are you talking about?" Aurora cracked sarcastically and Vanessa blinked. "I swear Aurora, you're like a masochist or something-"

"I wish I was," the stylist sighed, shoulders sagging. "It would make life so much more easier."

"Aurora, no-"

Before the conversation could go any further, the television screen automatically turned on. "Oh crap, it's starting." The two friends directed their attention to the Games, watching the twenty-four tributes rise from the Catacombs into the actual arena on their platforms. The mentor's eyes immediately found her two mentees, named Elise and Pluto. Not so surprisingly, they were both Careers.

While they were both skilled in weaponry and were strong, but Pluto wasn't the greatest guy. Elise seemed to be a nice girl though. But that wasn't important, Vanessa was supposed to be rooting for them. Their life were in her hands, it didn't matter if they were bastards or not. They were kids just trying to survive... only they resorted to training to become psychopathic killers. Like she did.

They weren't together though, Pluto was squeezed between Winifred from One and Anna from Seven. Elise was on the opposite side of the ring of tributes, between Stephanie from Five and Jester from Twelve.

The golden Cornucopia shone in the distance like a beacon of light, full of weapons and supplies. Though the Victor had seen enough Games to know that it was a trap to get the blood flowing from the start. Good way to keep the audience entertained.

The next thing she saw took her by surprise, realizing that the only way to the Cornucopia was an unsteady rope bridge, stretching across where the children stood to the horn. And below the bridges was lava. Yes, you heard that right. Lava. The tributes landed at the summit of a bloody volcano.

"Looks like some children will burn today. Fun way to die, can I join them?" Vanessa mused. "It's not quite arson, but it's good enough for me," Aurora remarked.

Surrounding the volcano was a large clearing and further back were the woods, stretching across most of the arena. To the east, a waterfall flowed into a crystal blue lake and to the south there was a small beach.

"How much do you want to bet the water is all poisoned?" the older woman whispered and her friend shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past the Gamemakers, though we don't want everyone dying from dehydration."

"True."

**_Ten_ **

A few got into position, realizing that time was almost up.

**_Nine_ **

The reality finally started to settle in a little. This was really happening.

**_Eight_ **

She noticed Silver from Seven glancing to his right, meeting eyes with Elise. He had fear and terror in his eyes, despite the fact that he was trying to hide it.

**_Seven_ **

Pluto, on the other hand, glanced at Winifred, who had a bloodthirsty gleam in her eyes, a snarl on her lips. He exchanged a nod with her and smirked and she nodded back.

**_Six_ **

Jester kept his eyes focused on the Cornucopia, not bothering to take a gander at his competition. Being from Twelve, the odds were certainly not in his favor, but he showed some potential.

**_Five_ **

Elise cracked her knuckles, scouring the Cornucopia for what Vanessa assumed would be a sword. She knew that was the tribute's choice of weapon.

**_Four_ **

Aurora and Vanessa exchanged glances, the jokes and the snide comments coming to a stop as yet another Game of child slaughter began.

**_Three_ **

**_Two_ **

**_One_ **

"Ladies, gentlemen and otherwise, let the twenty seventh annual Hunger Games... begin!"

~~~

**District Seven**

~~~

Jc watched Anna dive from her disk and dash across the bridge to the Horn, a woman on a mission. She was a decently fast runner, Winifred on her left and some other dude from who knows what District on her right. Next to him, he could see that Andrea was worried for her sister and he assured her, "She'll be okay. Anna's a fighter." She frowned and said, "Yeah... but you never know."

Andrea's older sister reached the horn first, slinging a pack over her shoulder with one hand, and with the other, an axe. Thinking quickly, she swung at the bridge hard. The tribute stopped for a split second dead in his tracks, terror-struck as it splits half-way.

He turns back and tries to run back, but she's quicker, swinging it down again to cut the bridge cleanly just before the poor guy reached to the other side and the ground beneath him collapses. Before he could even scream, he falls downwards, free-falling into a very fiery death.

Andrea let out a quiet gasp and Jc's mouth fell open, not expecting her to kill so early into the Games, but he supposed he didn't blame her. It was kill or be killed.

Another tribute, a girl this time, came at her with a dagger when Anna's axe meets her throat. Blood splatters and her eyes widen as she falls backwards into the lava, joining the other guy. It happened so fast that the girl probably didn't even have time to flinch. By that time, many more enemies have arrived and she decides to make a run for it, not looking back as she headed into the woods.

"Oh my..." Andrea whispered, speechless. Her sister was a murderer now. The camera focused on Pluto, who grabs a mace as Anna runs, cursing quietly that he let her run away. Jc pursed his lips, but continued watching as all hell breaks loose.

A boy from he wants to say... Ten(?) charges at him with throwing knives in hand, trying to catch the Career off-guard.

Unfortunately for him, the plan doesn't work and Pluto turns around, ducking as he swings one of his knives at him and the Career kicks him in the shin. The District Ten boy screams and drops his weapons, Pluto grabbing them and throwing them over into the belly of the volcano. The smaller boy lashes out and attempts to kick him in the head and he grunts, getting annoyed. He swivels his mace into his gut and the male tribute coughs up blood, reeling backwards.

As he does so, Winifred holds him into a chokehold. Instinctively, he struggles against the Career's grip, but she doesn't loosen even as he kicks and roars in anger. The blonde launches him into the pit and into the scorching lava below. "Nou dat was makkelijk," (Now that was easy) Winifred preened, grinning as she went to go snatch a dagger with her scarily long nails.

"Can you speak English? Please?" Pluto asked and she shook her head. "Engels is suf, waarom zou ik?" (English is lame, why should I?)

Andrea and Jc simultaneously cringed at the scene as it unfolded before them. "I'm going to safely assume it's just for fashion," the girl said half-heartedly and he shook his head. "Oh she definitely murders people with those nails-"

"Are you trying to say that she's a cat?" Andrea queried Jc blinked and gave her an odd look. "No-"

Barely a few feet away, there was a yelp and a loud thud as the boy from Three fell to the ground, slowly bleeding out. Meanwhile, Elise yanked a girl by the back of her ponytail, and she hit the ground, the strawberry blonde picking the younger girl up like a rag-doll and snapping her neck.

Fights and brawls are going on everywhere, blood splattering left and right as tributes lock into survival mode.A boy from Nine was running from the scene as quickly as he could, a meager bag in his hands. Just as he thought as he was safe from the bloodbath, Jester popped out of nowhere and yelled, "Surprise!" before throwing a knife at the poor boy, it impaling him. He drops the small bag and crumples, hacking up some blood, the red liquid drizzling down his chin.

Jester snatched the bag and ran, taking the knife he had with it.

"Looks like impostor you is a murderous psycho."

"Stop calling him impostor me, he's not-"

"He so is, don't even lie." Jc squinted and retorted, "I don't see it."

"Then you must be blind." He scowled as more cries of agony and pain as more and more bodies hit the ground and they wince at the gore. The Hunger Games have truly begun now.

~~~

**The Arena**

~~~

Stephanie almost got stabbed in the bloodbath, but it's fine.

She's still alive and that's all that matters. The tribute will let whatever happen to her, as long as she gets to go home. That's her only condition. Ripping through the woods, she had no sense of direction, had no clue where to head next, only to get away from all the free-for-all.

Stephanie had managed to a small backpack and unfortunately didn't get the opportunity to grab a weapon because somebody got stabbed, but she couldn't recall who. Stephanie never paid attention to who was who, nor did she care who they were.

They were obstacles, people who were in her way. The less Stephanie knows about them, the easier it will be and the less guilty she'll feel. As the girl from Five slowed to a walk, shrugging the bag off her shoulder as she opened it to see what she found.

"Let's see... a sleeping bag, crackers, an empty water bottle and a purifier. Not bad," she mumbled to herself, zipping it up. "Could use a knife, but this will do for now."

The sound of cannons disturbed the tranquility and the brunette nearly jumped out of her skin, looking up at the sky as they went off. The fighting was over. So who died? She witnessed about four, two murders from the Seven girl, one from the Careers and the other guy. Were there any more?

**_BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_ **

Ah, seven. What a lucky number. Ironic how people say seven's a lucky number because that's the number of colors in a rainbow, number of days in the week or seven notes that make music. Curiously enough, seven always ends up being an accident-prone numeral.

She wondered if Tyler was still alive after the whole debacle and part of her hoped he was alive and somewhat well. Stephanie knew she was being a hypocrite since she said she wouldn't care about anyone so she wouldn't get attached, but he was the only thing familiar about this place. The only person she knew that was from her roots. Something about that was comforting to her.

He was clever and thought a lot like her too, perhaps he could be a helpful ally if he's still around. But she doubted he was dead, Stephanie sensed Tyler was the stubborn kind. Even if at the end of the day, he has to die.

But they do say there's strength in numbers, right? And it's better to team up with someone from her District as a back-up plan in a scenario where she dies. Rather for someone she knows to win, than for some stranger to win. She'll be careful though when the time comes. Backstabbing tends to lose sympathy, but she has to gamble and play the Game if she wants to win it.

~~~

Elise and the Careers had only been in the arena for a few hours and she already wants to kill them all. She hadn't even wanted to stay with the pack in the first place, wanting to go with Silver and Jester, who she allied with during Training week. "I told you, Silver is staying whether you like it or not!" she asserted, leaving no room for negotiations. He was left on guard at their usual Cornucopia camp while the actual Careers hunted for tributes. Four for some reason, disappeared on them. Both of them for that matter.

"He'll slow us down, let's just kill him now, he's one person and there's three of us!" Pluto snapped. "Anyway, the Games finish quicker if he's gone. Too much of a liability and what if he stabs us in the back? Literally?" he added. The girl from Two changed strategies, and appealed, "If we kill him now, we lose our scapegoat. He can help us take out the other tributes. Once the betrayal comes, it'll be easy. Do it in his sleep while one of us are on guard."

This was all a big bluff of course, but she didn't tell them that. She didn't even know why she even joined the Careers, sure Pluto was there but he was just... Pluto. He didn't mean anything to her. Tradition was a lame excuse too, Four skips out on joining One and Two every few years.

Winifred and Pluto exchanged a silent conversation as they glanced at each other. He pursed his lips and grudgingly gave in. "Fine, but don't blame me if you get attached."

She folded her arms across her chest. "I won't get attached, I barely met him a week ago." Pluto snorted and crowed, "That's what they all say."

"We're getting off-track, let's find tributes already!" As they trekked through the woods, the area surrounding them was eerily still. "You see anybody?" he questioned, mace drawn out. "Coast seems to be clear. I don't see anyone," his District partner answered, not noticing a shadow creep past.

Her gaze traveled upwards, looking in the tree tops and saw somebody there. Narrowing her eyes, she peered closer, and realized it was Jester from Twelve. Elise had originally wanted to ally with him too, but he didn't want to be with the Careers. So understandably, their paths split. Their eyes for a brief moment and rather than rat him out, Elise lied, "There's nobody here, Winifred. We should leave, it's just us three."

"There's somebody here," the boy insisted, tightening his grip on his mace. "There's no way someone's not going to try and foolishly fight us." The Career smiled knowingly as he passed a tree, and cooed, "In fact, I think that there's someone ready to pounce right about-" He snapped his gaze to the left, meeting the eyes of the boy from Three. "Now."

Winifred's grinned sharpened. "Hallo jong." (Hello child)

The boy's hands were behind his back as he slyly moved them forward. "Drop 'em," Pluto ordered, seeing his hands moving. "You're outnumbered, Three.You think you can take out three Careers?" he cooed, stepping forward. "So-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a shuriken was thrown at his face at full speed.

He raised his mace and it bounced right off. Winifred cackled at the attempt. "So pathetic," she finished for him, annoyed. "You wanna play, ja? Let's play then, freaks."

He lowered down his guard, surprised by her use of English and the three trained competitors raised their weapons.

~~~

**_BOOM!_ **

_And another one bites the dust._

From the rich brown earthen hues of the forest ground to the sweetness of the blue-white sky, the forest is a three dimensional wonderland for the eyes who are willing to absorb the light. But he knew better than that. Tyler could drop dead right here right now and he wouldn't even know it. That's what happened to that poor girl when she was pierced with an axe and fell into the fiery pit.

His feet pounded the earth, the sounds muffled by the soft dirt beneath his boots.The District Five tribute stared at the blood coating the machete. It wasn't the most practical weapon, he hardly knew how to use it properly, but he was too busy trying not to die to care. The sunlight caught the glimmer of the steel and the blood, still drying from the... _situation_ Tyler was caught in the middle of. He supposed that's what happened when one jabs another with a very sharp blade, but he was still in shock.

Worst part was, Silver wasn't quite dead yet, so he was definitely in trouble. To be fair, Silver tried to murder him first, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the right to be absolutely pissed. Thankfully, the sickle-wielding tribute dropped his weapon and Tyler could make a break for it. Silver will get his revenge later, but for now he'll be alright. He hopes.

"For now, I just gotta stick to the plan," he muttered to himself. "The problem is, I don't have one."

The forest was dark. And it was quiet. Perhaps a little too much so.

_Crunch._

_Wonderful, I have company._

Tyler looked behind him and saw only trees, but he knew he's ninety percent positive he hasn't gone insane enough to start hearing things, so the rustling sound was real. "I haven't even gotten the chance to clean this blasted knife yet," he carped, raising his voice to question, "Who's there?"

He only found silence. Which wasn't a good sign. "For heaven's sake, if you're going to kill me, at least show your face."

Just as he was turning around, he was met with a pair of green eyes."SH*T," he cursed loudly, ducking as the sai blade swung over his head. "Hi there District Five, trying to run into a force field or something?" the tribute cooed. Tyler, for the life of him couldn't remember who the hell this girl was, all he knew that she was from Four. Which makes her a Career. Fan-frickin-tastic,

His heart beat in his chest, pounding, reminding himself the only reason he's not dead right now is because it hasn't found him, but it will if Tyler lets himself get murdered. Which wasn't a lovely thought, but who cares? Even if the thought of leaving the arena without killing anyone was comforting, it was impossible.

He leapt forward, slashing at the Career and she lifted her arms to protect her face. Tyler managed to scrap a gash across her hand and she screamed angrily, doubling her efforts as metal hit skin. The blade strikes his jaw, ripping open his skin. He felt blood, but couldn't be bothered to think about that.

Getting annoyed, she kicked him in the gut and he fell backwards, slamming into the ground, taking her with him. She slashes her blades towards his face and Tyler grabs her by the shoulder, slamming her head on the ground. Blood is spat onto his face, the Career bashing her head on his nose.

Snarling, his fist meets her eye and yanks her off him. They both spring to their feet, Tyler grabbing one of Four's sai blades and throwing it into the trees. Now sporting a black eye, it squeezed shut as the bruise spread and now only having one sai blade, she charged at him.

They were both caught by surprise when someone came from behind and bashed her head repeatedly in with a rock, and the Career crumpled to the floor, skull caved in.

Stephanie drops the rock, covering her mouth in distress as it dawned on her what she had done.

**_BOOM!_ **

"You could've let her kill me you know," Tyler said, noticing the fear in her eyes. Stephanie was quiet as they walked away from the body to let them collect her before replying, "Well, I was nearby and figured you needed some help. You look like hell by the way, you okay?"

He shrugged, realizing that blood was still dripping from his nose.. "Least I'm alive, thanks to you. You didn't have to do that, you know."

"You're welcome. Just this one time alright? I won't save your ass next time." She managed a half-smile. "Like I said, you could've left me for dead. Why make it harder on yourself?" he asked and she exhaled. "Don't take this too seriously, you're not much, but you're from home you know? It's comforting to be able to know somebody. Besides, I could use an ally, someone to watch my back."

"And... you thought of me?" Stephanie nodded. "Of course. I'm down if you are. They do say there's strength in numbers."

Tyler studied Stephanie's face, debating whether or not he could trust her. She didn't seem to be lying though, but this was the Hunger Games. Where friends and foes all become one. "Wouldn't hiding alone be easier?"

"Maybe, but I would like to sleep sometime and my dreams would be a lot nicer if you're awake, guarding me."

"Why should I trust you?"

The girl seemed to ponder over this for a moment, one eyebrow arched. "Well, I didn't kill you when I could have. And like you pointed out, I saved your life."

He contemplated for a moment before holding out his hand "Allies until the final eight if we don't die first. If in an unlikely scenario it comes down to the two of us, we have a fair fight. No hard feelings."

"That sounds fair. Deal." Stephanie took his hand and shook it, the other hand remaining behind her back. "So where should we head now? Sun's going to set in a few hours, we need a good place to hide."

~~~

**Day 2**

~~~

_Silver._

He stirred slightly, rolling onto his side. However, he didn't wake up.

_Silver._

No reaction whatsoever.

_SILVER I WISH I KNEW YOUR MIDDLE NAME WIRES._

He opened his eyes groggily, muttering, "What?" As his vision cleared, he saw Elise shaking him awake. "C'mon, get up idiot," she hissed. "You're not trying to kill me?" Silver asked.

He must've asked that too loudly because she flared,"I will kill you if you don't be quiet and ruin the plan. Get up, we're leaving."

"Why?"

"People are dropping like flies, pretty soon they'll try and kill me and you. Do you want them to?"

He shook his head. "That's what I thought. We're leaving in five minutes, if you're not ready, I'm leaving you behind."

"Alright, alright I'm up." The boy from Seven stood up and asked, "Where's Halo and Spaceman?"

"Hunting tributes. We'll come up with a strategy later, let's focus on getting out of here."

Silver nodded and packed his things and suggested, "Why don't we snatch supplies from the Cornucopia while we can?"

"That's a terrible idea. They'll kill us and I'd rather not die, thanks."

"Who cares, they won't be able to last long without the supplies, don't y'all rely on the stuff here rather than hunt or steal from dead people like everyone else? Plus, who knows when we'll be able to get more stock?"

She thought about it for a few moments and begrudgingly agreed. "Fine, but we get in and get out, alright? No doubt they'll be back any minute. And will your shoulder be able to handle it? That guy from Five got close to killing you with a stab to the chest."

"Physically, I'm fine. Emotionally, I'm pissed, but that's not important. Anyway, let's not waste time shall we?"

~~~

_Day two and there's only 13 of us left. Didn't expect everyone to die so fast._

Actually Anna did, considering she killed not one, but two people, but she didn't let herself contemplate too much on that. It was cruel to chop off that poor tributes's bridge, but it was kill or be killed. As harsh as it sounds, she'd much rather kill and live a long life than basically being forced to die. She climbed down the tree swiftly and landed on the ground, looking both ways to double-check that no one was around. Anna took her axe out for good measure.

The District Seven girl found sleep wasn't easy to attain in the tree. She'd snatched a couple of hours, maybe, when she heard the sound of a scream. The scream had been male. Earlier in the night, she had looked over toward the direction of the scream and noticed the light of a campfire. Then Anna heard the boom of the canon. Someone died in the middle of the night and she was in proximity to it. A miracle whoever killed the boy didn't find her.

_Foolish. That was so stupid. It doesn't matter who it was, they were fools to leave a lit campfire burning._

Anna was up with the first light of the sun. But she knew the light was likely fake. Inside the arena, night and day was controlled by the Gamemakers, you never really knew whether this was all an illusion or not. Though hopefully, they don't have any attractions coming in quite yet.

Now that she thinks about it, they definitely have a trick up their sleeve they'll unleash to get the blood flowing. The peace won't last long, not if the audience will get bored easily. Plus, no doubt she's got a target painted on her back since she'll be seen as a threat.

Oh the joys of being in a game of murder.

She lumbered through the woods, searching for a source. Her flask wasn't empty, but it would run out quickly. Perhaps Anna should retrace her steps from yesterday. It could be risky, given that other people could also be occupying the area, but sometimes you have to take a shot in the dark and hope for the best.

After a while, she finally found some water and she crouched down to fill her flask. She wanted to try and stay close to the water. She knew that she might not know where her next water source would come from. It was then, that she took note that she wasn't alone, hearing some clamor. The contestant from Seven leapt to her feet, getting into a fighting stance at once. The girl wasn't sure how to approach the noise. It could be the Careers, it could be someone else.

The snap of a twig under her foot destroyed all her plans of stealth. She saw Pluto step out from the bushes, grinning. "Hello there, Annie." She scowled. "It's Anna."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, it won't matter once I kill you anyway." And with that, Anna thought it would be ideal if she just ran.

So ran she did.

She noticed he was alone, his allies nowhere in sight.They were definitely splitting up to take out more competition.

A shuriken hit Anna's cheek and fell to the ground with a dull thud.

The girl from Seven hissed in pain, touching her cheek, which was now bleeding. She was running so fast that she could barely breathe. But she knew if she stopped, the trail of blood she was leaving behind her, would lead her pursuers straight to her and she would end up dead.

Anna came across a large tree and didn't bother looking over her shoulder before climbing. This made sense, one would assume she'd been surrounded by trees her whole life. Pluto was from Two, and they sure as hell didn't climb trees.

As she scaled up the tree, another shuriken pierced her hand and she cringed, hand slipping and she came crashing down to the ground. Wheezing for breath, she groaned, clutching her ribs.

"Nowhere to run Russett!" Pluto cackled and cooed, "I'll just take that shuriken back." He jogged towards her, a wicked and gloating grin on his face.

And then was accidentally tackled by a tribute that was running. Anna's miraculous savior crashed to the ground, eyes filling with fear as she realized who she came across. "Little vixen," he growled, briefly distracted for a moment.

Anna backed away from the fight, scampering to her feet. There was no way she could overpower Pluto and besides... she had her own goals and interests. One could never always be a hero. No one was a saint when it came to the arena. She backed away, locking eyes with the girl before running for it.

~~~

**_BOOM!_ **

The two allies flinched at the sound, still surprised by it after all this time. "We need to find supplies, let's head back to the Cornucopia and take some from the Careers," Tyler suggested once he was confident that there would be no more cannons.

"Sir, are you mad, that is basically suicide," Stephanie retorted.

"Maybe, two days in the arena is two days too much for me. And they're going to be going around trying to kill people, they're not guarding the Cornucopia."

"Careers always have a guard, they're not just going to let us waltz in like we're buying bonbons from a bakery!"

"Then we can cause a distraction. Or we could go around and kill another tribute and take their stuff." She stared at him for a long moment. "I can't decide which one of your ideas are worse: idiotically committing suicide or murder and body robbing."

"Do you have a better idea?" Tyler sassed, crossing his arm . "Yes actually," Stephanie clapped back. "How about instead of stealing from fellow humans that want to kill us, why don't we steal from Mother Nature?"

He sighed. "And how do we know what you're going to gather isn't poisonous? I don't think either of us are plant experts, smartass."

"You are a rude little child," she seethed and he scoffed. "Fine, we're not too far from it anyway."

They jog through the forest, dodging trees and stepping over fallen branches. After about a half hour or so, the duo reached the edge of the forest, the Career camp coming into view. Stephanie ducks and hides behind a bush, yanking her ally down with her. "Can you not drag me?" he hissed and she fired back, "If you want to be seen, sure."

Scanning the grounds, she observed, "There's no one here."

"Yeah no sh*t Sherlock, I have eyes." The brunette narrowed her eyes at him. "Can you not be snarky for once? How does your girlfriend deal with a pain in the arse like you? If you were my boyfriend, I'd poison your tea."

"If I was your boyfriend, I'd _drink_ it." The two would've prospectively continued quarreling had they not recognized they were in the middle of a ransack, but the two children came to their senses and he proposed, "Why don't I go to the Cornucopia from the left and you go from the ri-"

She had already left and he groaned, "The other left, you- oh whatever."

~~~

A scream echoed through the arena, but it wasn't one of fear. It was one of anger.

Winifred shrieked again, kicking the side of the Cornucopia, enraged. She ran her fingers through her hair, seeing all the food was gone. All the girl had was her dagger and small pack of supplies. And it only had to be the work of Elise and that stupid little wench from Seven. What was his name? Silas? Ah, who cares.

"You'll pay for this Elise! I'm going to kill you and your stupid friend!" She tightens her grip on her dagger and sprints back into the woods.

~~~

**Day Three**

~~~

Anna was ripping through the woods, axe in newly bandaged hand, spotting someone. Actually it was two people, from Five.

There hadn't been cannons since her encounter with Pluto. Which... she couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing. Slowing down a little to take a look at surroundings, she found that she lost them. "Darn it," she muttered.

As she enters a clearing, she found somebody walking with a bag of berries in hand. She was caught off-guard, flint and steel as her only weapon.

"I saw those two Fives, not you," she remarked. The girl sees this as an opportunity and runs for it, and Anna exhaled. "You have got to be kidding me."

She chases her, seeing that the girl had dropped her bag and had taken out her flint and steel. Anna raised the axe above her head and threw it, the weapon impaling her back.

She was dead before she even hit the ground, the cannon booming loudly. Going back to the bag, she snatched it open, seeing berries, nuts and a strange flower. Dropping the bag in surprise, she remembered it was some Capitol-made flower called the griplacca. If it touched your skin, you were a goner in sixty seconds unless you had its antidote. Fortunately, she hadn't done so. "This could be useful," she mumbled to herself.

"Can you shut the hell up? I'm trying to think!" a voice screeched and Anna recognized the voice, going closer to investigate.

~~~

Just a minute or so earlier, Elise and Silver had slowed to a walk. "I can't believe we got away with that," he marveled and she answered, "Don't speak too soon. I doubt they're even at camp right now and it's best we keep it that way for as long as possi-"

**_BOOM!_ **

"Well damn does the Capitol to be over fast. How many people have died?"

"Fourteen I think and it makes sense, keeps people on the edge of their seats. And by people, I mean the Capitol. We should get moving, that cannon was dangerously close to us."

"Good idea." They turned to go in a different direction when they heard footsteps and Elise held up her sword, whirling around. Silver followed in pursuit, sickle raised to stab if necessary.

"Don't kill me yet!" a voice exclaimed and she lowered her sword. "Jester?"

"That's me. I came looking for the girl with flint and steel, cause I got stuck with a stupid knife. Then Anna found her and I lost her. I'm assuming she's dead though, she couldn't have gone far."

Silver nudged his head towards the left. "Must be somewhere over there, take it if it's her body that's there."

"Thanks. Aren't you two with the Careers? I thought you'd have killed me by now."

"Ditched those bastards, couldn't stand them much longer," Elise answered. "Want nothing to do with them."

"Truce then?" Jester suggested. The two allies looked at each other. "I mean, I've already spared you twice, so might as well," she said half-jokingly.

"Let's go body-robbing, fiends," Silver cracked.

~~~

"I would've shut up if you didn't scream and let the whole arena our location!" Tyler hissed, clamping a hand over her mouth. She smacked his hand away. "Apologies, you're just getting on my last nerves-"

"And I've reached that point a long time ago, so I guess we're even." They scowled at each other, and a voice crooned, "Well, well, well, look at what the cat dragged in." They turned around, meeting a pair of bright blue eyes.

"Anna," Tyler greeted the younger girl. "You must've been the one to killed whoever that cannon was for, weren't you?"

"Maybe." The corner of her lips curved upwards and she shrugged. "My question for you is why you aren't attacking me. You easily outnumber me."

Good question. Why aren't we killing you?" the girl from Five answered nonchalantly and suddenly Anna reached out and grabbed her by the neck. Stephanie yelped and tried to yank her arm off and pulls her sleeve down to reveal a griplacca and holds it to her face.

"Don't!" he exclaimed and the girl from Seven streaked it across her face, and Stephanie begins to sweat and break out, red blotches appearing on her skin. Anna lets go and runs for it, leaving her to collapse on the floor, screaming.

"You have got to be kidding me right now," Tyler fretted, shrugging off his pack and opening it while Stephanie screeched, "Don't just stand there you bastard, _do_ something!"

"I'm _trying._ "

"YOU'RE NOT EVEN DOING ANYTHING." He grabs a similar looking plant and approaches her with it and swipes it across her face, stopping the boils. "There," he snapped. "Better?"

"I guess."

He glared at her. "You're lucky I want a few more people dead before you or I would've left you to die."

"Guess we're even then, aren't we?"

He sighed. "And I'm starting to regret this."

~~~

"What's the Game plan for today?" Jester queried and Elise said dryly, "Murder. And preferably, not dying." 

Unceremoniously, Silver burst into the clearing, screaming, "Guys, we have to go!" The other two blinked blankly, confused. "What-" she began. He caught his breath, looking like he'd been sprinting. "Pluto...he's...."

"He's what?" his new friend questioned. "Catch your breath, explain slowly."

"No! We have to go now!" He slung his bag on and tossed the other two to them and began running in the opposite direction, not waiting to see if they followed. "Guys come on!" he cried and she replied impatiently , "What are you harping on about-"

"Pluto will-"

"I will what?" said Pluto in a sing-song voice, framed by the thick leaves.

"Oh goodness," Elise breathed and the trio ran for their lives.

A throwing knife soared above their heads and impales itself on a tree trunk and Jester snatches it, mocking, "Thanks for the knife! I appreciate the gift!"

"You're dead you little bastard!" Pluto threated, speeding up.

"Okay, but why are we running instead of fighting him? There's three of us and one of him-" Elise remarked and Silver answered, "I saw Winifred with him, that's why-"

Speaking of the devil, the One tribute decided to just pop out of nowhere. "OH HECK NO!" they all screamed in unison and steered to run in a different direction. "WHAT DO THEY WANT FROM US?" Jester asked, baffled.

"Wraak is mijn enige wens," Winifred responded. (Revenge is my only wish)

"I don't speak windmill, but that does not sound good," Silver said. "REDRUM!" she screeched from behind them.

"That's definitely the sound of a psychotic murderer," Elise shuddered.

"WHERE THE FRICKITY FRACK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FORKING GO NOW? IT'S NOT LIKE WE CAN KEEP RUNNING!"

They approached the beach, knowing they were screwed. There wasn't anywhere to run, and it wasn't like they could swim away. Elise mouthed profanities and muttered, "Damnit." 

"REDRUM!" Winifred screamed again and Jester turned his head and snapped, "CALM DOWN LADY. TAKE A CHILL PILL. MAYBE SMOKE SOME WEED AND GET HIGH." **(Dear minors, please don't smoke weed, this is just a joke-)**

Instead of doing so, she attacked Elise, tackling her to the ground, grabbing her by the throat. "SILVER! JESTER!"

The boys attempted to pull her off, but were then distracted by the arrival of Pluto, who dived into a fight with them both. Elise kicked her off for the briefest of seconds, screaming in pain as she felt Winifred's nails dig into her skin of her neck.

"ELISE-" Silver screamed.

With a quick jerk of her hands, her neck snapped in half.

~~~

**_BOOM!_ **

"You won't win!" Silver lashed as Winifred lunged at him with her dagger and he quickly ducked out of the way. "I already killed your pathetic little friend, what makes you think I can't kill you?" she jeered, a satisfied smile on her lips.

"Since when do you speak English?"

"Since I felt like it. I hope you like knives!" She swung again her dagger again, using her other arm to wrap around his neck. He thrashed and squirmed, but the Career squeezed harder. Silver wheezed for breath, slowly turning blue. Winifred grabbed his wrist and pierces his skin. It was the same arm that got a knife in the shoulder at the beginning of the Games so that was great. 

He roars in pain, trying to jerk his arm away, but she drags the knife up his arm. Blood gushes out of his arm, yet he managed to elbow her hard enough to elbow her in the ribs and rip her hand off. He stabs her with the sickle in the side. "That's for killing my friend!"

She screamed in agony, furious."There's no such thing as friends in the arena, you fool. You barely even know them." He backed away from the shoreline. "Just because I haven't known them for long doesn't mean I can't care!" 

Meanwhile, Jester and Pluto were having their own fight barely a few feet away. Jester sidesteps Pluto's mace and showers him with flames. He felt the heat singe of his eyebrows and the Career growled, jumping back to avoid it. 

Smoke begins filling the air, and the two cough, gasping for breath. It was risky, playing with fire. One only played with fire if they want to get burned. "You bastard! I'm going to kill you."

As soon as the flames stop, he sprints towards the boy from Twelve again and he ducks, kicking Pluto in the shin. He again sprinkles flame towards his competitor, the end of his clothes charring. The Career gets more aggravated now, ignoring the pain as Jester gets ready to attack again. 

Aiming towards Pluto's face, Jester lunged and Pluto dived, clubbing him with the butt of his weapon. It hit Jester square in the nose, and blood drips down his face, but he ignores it. Instead, he blasts the older tribute with another round of flames.

If this was what hell felt like, Pluto was certainly not enjoying it as it burned off the flesh off his face. The blond tried to get closer but he sidestepped, tripping the younger boy up. 

As he slammed towards the ground with a thud, his lifelines fell out of reach. Pluto smiled cruelly as Jester tried to reach for his flint and steel, and the Career grabbed him by the ankles, dragging him backwards, away from his only protection. Pluto dives onto him, giving him no time to recover before he plunges his mace into Jester's gut. 

Silver, who had seen glimpses while he was with Winifred, yelled, "NO!" Pluto smirks and runs off, disappearing into the trees, deciding to let the tribute live with his grief for a little while longer or just let his now former ally handle him.

"Not so fun seeing your friends die in front of you, doesn't it?" she cooed, kicking Elise's body to the side as she passed by the blonde's body. "I was planning on saving Elise for last, but you'll do." Her eyes fell to Jester, who was miraculously still alive. But he wouldn't last for much longer, there was no saving him. "I think this one will live long enough to see it. What's his name? Jasper?" She grinned at him, walking towards him as he took his final breaths.

As Winifred was briefly distracted, Silver had acquired a coconut that was lying on the sand, sprinting towards her at full speed. Just as he gets ready to strike, she looks up and he slams it onto her face, knocking her unconscious. There was a horrible crunch and Silver cringed as she hit the ground, sinking in the sand.

Glancing mournfully at his new friend, he whispered, "I'm sorry Jester." 

"It's all good, dude. We both know only one of us could live anyway." He kneeled down next to him and Jester continued, "Even then... I don't want to die. I'm scared."

"You'll be okay. I promise." His breaths grew heavier, coughing up blood. "Thanks for being my friend, Silver. I hope you make it out of this hell." He gave a weak smile as the cannon boomed loudly. A tear fell down Silver's face as he closed his now dead companion's eyes.

"I'm going to kill them both. I'm going to get out of here," he vowed. "For both of you."

~~~

"Can you slow down?" Stephanie repeated and Tyler answered flatly, "No. And if you have a problem with that, get left behind."Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," she groused and she could tell he was glowering even if he wasn't looking at her.

She was tired of his increasingly bothersome presence, and had been debating for the past few hours whether or not the girl should kill him herself.She could get away with it, do the deed in his sleep, but she noticed that he wasn't much of a sleeper. Presumably it's because so she can't just stab him in the back and get it over with. Their alliance wouldn't last much longer, only a day or two before they separate. She was surprised they lasted this long without decimating each other.

Sure, he saved her life, but she did too, so they were even. Neither owed each other anything and they agreed no hard feelings if they do end up fighting it out. No blood debt to pay. It was all fair game. Stephanie could even pull it off right now if she wanted to. 

"If you want to kill me right now, go ahead," Tyler dared and she was startled as he turned around. "C'mon Stephanie, I'm not an idiot. Our agreement is basically up, and it's not like we'd let each other walk away peacefully. What is this, the friendship games where everyone gets to live?"

She sneered at him. "You won't be killing anyone. Not me at least."

"So confident. I'd like to see you try." She swings her weapon in an arc towards his head and he blocks it with his own machete. Tyler drops to the floor and the sudden shift in weight throws her off balance. "Son of a devil," she snarled, tripping over her feet.

And in that moment, a third party decided to join the fight. 

~~~

"Hiya fives, a ten has arrived!" Silver greeted, but the quip felt forced. "You're from Seven," Tyler retorted. "At least I didn't give you a bad shoulder... which by the way, is that all you got? Pathetic. But we can accommodate for that starting with you dying and maybe your other friend can die. Mutts are coming soon, aren't they?"

They both turned and realized that Stephanie had somehow managed to disappear into thin air. "Oh, she ditched you. Don't blame her." 

"You talk an awful lot for being in a middle of a violent confrontation," Tyler remarked and Silver answered, "Oh right. Back to our regular schedule of murder! You have no idea how long I've been waiting to bump into you." The tribute from Seven charges and Tyler dives to the side, Silver's sickle merely hitting nothing but air.

"Is that all you've got? What are you waiting for?" he mocked and Silver flushed red in rage. He leaps towards the District Five tribute, the sickle swinging rapidly and he dodges again. He draws back, appearing to be ready to take another swing with his sickle. Tyler prepared to swerve out of the way once more, but was taken by surprise when he faked a thrust. 

As he ducked backward, Silver surges forward, metal meeting flesh, impaling his enemy in the gut. Blood soaked through his shirt, and the Seven boy takes the opportunity to tackle him to the ground, driving the sickle deeper. "Unfortunately, while I'd love to stay longer to watch you die, I have a Game to win."

He yanks the sickle out and for a brief moment, there was a look of regret, but it was quickly replaced with a triumphant smirk.

~~~

**_BOOM!_ **

Was that really vile for her to leave him behind? Well, yes-

Does she kind of have a feeling of remorse? Also yes, but Stephanie's fully aware she'll repent for it in the afterlife. Which hopefully she won't get a peek off for a long time. She wondered which one of them died, for it was indefinitely one of those two. If it was Silver, she would be a little more worried having to face her former ally. If it was Tyler, she'd feel a little guilty, but she'll get over it.

Perhaps not quite as fast as she got over the guilt of murdering that one girl from Four, but those were two completely different situations, alright? 

Now that she didn't have anyone to watch her back, she suddenly became more aware of her surroundings, and a little more paranoid. There weren't many of them left, that cannon marking... 5 left? 6? The brunette lost track of the count.

Trekking through the woods for another hour or so, she finally rested at a clump of willow trees as the sun began to retire for the day. Sitting on a log, she bit into an apple, staring into the night sky for any sign of the anthem. 

As if on cue, it blasted through the arena, the seal materialized in the sky, first displaying the girl from Two, Elise. And then the District Five logo appeared, along with a photo of Tyler. Her gut twisted and she gulped, confirming her suspicions. He was dead. 

There was a low growl behind her and she peeked over her shoulder. Immediately standing up, she pulled out her dagger, now thinking she should've stayed close by to steal his supplies, but she didn't think of it at the time, worrying more about her safety. "Who are you?" she demanded, waiting for a reply, but none came. 

"Show yourself!" she said, raising her voice. 

A pair of dark eyes stared back at her. And they didn't look human.

"Oh no," she squeaked, breaking into a sprint .

~~~

A scream resounded through the arena, along with some very un-human like snarls. Almost like... wolves. Like mutts that were wolves. Anna shot up at this revelation. The snarls and moans grew louder as they got closer to where she was staying at. Perhaps a little too close for comfort. 

A figure zoomed past the clearing, though she couldn't make out who it was from up high. A pack of three hobbled their way behind whoever ran past, sprinting at full speed relentlessly. All she could make out was a flash of blonde fur and a Two around the collar of one of them. "Elise?" she gasped, and fear begin to rise. Anna's heart thudded in her chest so loudly she thought it was going to burst. Of course the Capitol would release mutts. 

There hadn't really been any special attractions, as it was mostly the tributes killing each other, but Gamemakers seemed to have wanted to spice things up a little. She knew she should've just climbed a tree and hope for the best but there was no time for that now. One of them turned to her and she couldn't help but scream, and bolted.

As the mutt reached her, she swung her axe in an arc and chopped off one of their arms, kicking it in the stomach. She kept running, not taking any chances by looking over her shoulder. More cries could be heard nearby. "I'M SORRY! LEAVE ME ALONE!" 

Anna heard sobbing in the distance as the voice begged, "PLEASE! STOP!" She sees a girl have a mutt dive onto her back. She shrieks in agony as it bites a chunk of her neck and yanks a clump of her hair out. 

As opposed to fleeing like any rational person would, Anna found herself locked in place as she watched this unfold before her eyes. As much as she hated to admit it, she was too panic-stricken and felt so numb. Maybe she had already reached her breaking point, she wasn't sure. It was one thing to see it on a television screen, but it was another to live through it. 

Hands trembling, she managed to lift her spare knife she kept and threw it, aiming for the poor girl's head to end her misery. It punctured her right in the head and she went as still as a statue. "I just want to go home already," the girl from Seven miffed, trying to find the strength to get herself out of the situation. 

But it was already too late. The girl may have been dead, but the mutt wasn't. It was only then did see the five.

~~~

**Day Five**

~~~

To put it quite plainly, a lot happened the night before. Problem was, Silver didn't know who else died, but was very much aware of the presence of mutts last night. They were gone now that the sun was up, the Gamemakers must've been satisfied with their performance. Which he was appreciative for, it was hard enough to have human enemies around. 

All he knew was that two people died, but he didn't know who. At this point, he didn't even care anymore. The rage, grief and shame hadn't worn off even a little bit, and he scolded himself for it. For letting himself find something a little more than allyship in two people that were now dead. For ignoring that voice that told him he shouldn't have made friends in the arena. Because once they were gone, it made things so much harder.

Even if it didn't last long. Shaking his head, the boy from Seven began packing his things, watching the sun gradually rise into a new day. Shoving his sleeping bag into his pack, he throws it over a shoulder, gazing at the nice view of the cliffs he could see from here.

The Games wouldn't last much longer, might as well head over to the Cornucopia to join the party. Gamemakers liked to force the final handful tributes together to create excitement, though he wasn't sure he knew what was super exciting about watching twenty three kids lose their lives (a few by his own hand) and their families losing them not to disease or sickness, but to murder.

It almost felt surreal. But it all ended today because he wasn't winning for himself anymore. He was going to do it for the people who he never thought he would've cared much about a week prior.

That determination all came crashing down when he encountered Pluto yet again.

~~~

"Funny how we keep bumping into each other, huh?" Pluto mused. "It's almost fate that we meet when it's the most inconvenient for you."

"Go to hell Pluto, you've already done enough," Silver growled, sickle already in hand. "Oh I'll be going to hell alright, look at these stupid burns your friend gave me." He motioned towards his singed eyebrows and the flesh peeling off his face. He had to refrain from snickering and silently applauded Jester. "As soon as I win these Games and snatch yet another victory for District Two. It's such a fine day for such games isn't it?"

"Sure is," he croaked. "Spare me the evil monologue, demon spawn. Sorry not sorry, you'll be the one dying today." 

"I'll gladly spare the monologue, but you're a fool if you think you can beat me."

All of a sudden, Pluto lurched forward and tackled him to the ground. Silver's sickle fell out of his grasp for the briefest of seconds and he attempted to stab him in the face, but it was useless in a position like this. The Career deflected the blow effortlessly, pinning his arm to the ground. He punched Silver in the face and he felt his jaw crack.

He punched him square in the face again and again until blood poured from his nose, blood filling his vision. His teeth shattered in his mouth and Silver spat them out just to be spiteful. Distracted and disgusted, Pluto fought the urge to wrench away and the younger tribute took the chance to aim for the neck, but Pluto caught on and jerked away, the blade cutting his upper arm instead.

Silver shoved him off and dug his elbow into Pluto's neck as hard as he could, the Two tribute gagging as he took another blow to the stomach. Unfortunately, he succeeded in catching his competitor's arm before serious damage could be done and a yank of the arm sent Silver right into a headlock. 

His body grew limp as he struggled for air. "Told you I would win," Pluto cackled madly as Silver began closing his eyes and going motionless.

**_BOOM!_ **

Pluto shoved Silver off and found himself precariously close to the edge of the cliff. Grunting, he tried to walk away from his body, but his foot was tangled with Silver's irritating little bag. Tugging away, he suddenly lost his balance, staggering to find his footing.

Next thing he knew, he was falling and darkness enveloped him into their arms.

~~~

Winifred watched from the bushes, smirking as she heard the cannon. She had stalked Pluto, hoping to fight it out with him, but she didn't mind watching him trip over a corpse and dying. She chuckled, entertained by his depressing ending. How loserly.

~~~

**Weeks Later**

~~~

If someone asks one more blasted time if she's okay, Safiya's going to go haywire. She's perfectly _fine_ , excuse you, how many times does a girl have to repeat herself? Slamming the door behind her, she made her way through the empty streets, the rain keeping everyone inside. As much as she loved her family, being near them felt suffocating and too filled with overwhelming concern.

Safiya knew her parents and brother were practically walking on eggshells ever since the Games. She felt awful that she was drowning in grief, dragging them down with her. She needed to be alone for a little while. 

Taking her mind off things, the raven-haired girl tried to distract herself with how her home looked in the evening rain.The prettiest Five ever got was near the wind turbines at the edge of the district. Safiya guessed the area surrounding the lake and hydropower plant would be nice but it was concealed by forest and only authorized personnel were allowed there so she had never seen it. Sometimes wildflowers grew there. There were tall trees at the edges of the fields, where the forest began. It was a pretty sight until birds flying by got caught in the spinning blades of the turbines, filling that lush green field with bird carcasses. It was especially bad during the migration season.

Thinking about the bird's dead bodies. Thinking about bird's dead bodies made her think of those people that she watched get the life sucked out of them. And when she thought of that, she thought specifically of-

You know what, let's not dabble there. She tried to relax her tense muscles as she passed by the tribute memorial, debating whether or not to go in. The rational part of her told her not to do it, to go back home. But Safiya's body didn't obey those orders, finding herself going in. Whether it was for closure or for comfort, she wasn't sure.

Tributes were never buried in the regular cemetery where everyone else rotted six feet underground after they passed. Instead, their final resting place was a fenced cemetery with identical stone marble headstones, same as Seven or Two or anywhere else. Heck, their names weren't even on the headstones, the only sign of which grave was which was the number of the Games they died in and an F or M symbolizing whether that competitor was male or female. Forever Capitol property, a piece of their games, denied the right to belong to their Districts and families even after death. Messed up, but there wasn't any way to make things different.

It was August now, nearly three weeks gone by since... well, you know. Her gut wrenched at the thought. Rain fell in crazy chaotic drops now, the gusting wind carrying them in wild vortices one moment and in diagonal sheets the next.A drop of water landed on her nose and another fell her cheek.

Even the sky wept today.

"You come by here for a night walk too?" a voice asked dryly, noticing her creeping up on him. "Hey Matthew."

"It's okay to admit you come here to cry, I do that too." He paused, looking down at the two headstones. "I guess it's easier, to fall apart when you're alone. No prying eyes to watch."

She fumbled for words and blurted without thinking, "I hate it when people tell me 'My condolences.'Sounds like you should be carrying an object like a fruit basket."

Matt snorted and added, "I hate it when people tell me that I'm in their prayers. Like a prayer will raise the dead and fix everything." He continued on their tangent, "I also hate how in the beginning people send you flowers and check up on you and then they just... stop. They stop doing all the nice gestures for you because they're over it and now they expect you to be over it. They expect you to heal your fractures, expect you to forget, to erase that image from your mind."

"I hate it when I run into someone I haven't seen in a long time... and they know he's dead. I mean, how can they not know he's dead? And then we have an entire conversation." She blinked to stop the tears from spilling. "And..." her voice cracked, now more resentful than heavyhearted. "And they never bring him up. Never say sorry or ask how I've been. They just pretend everything's fine and dandy. Might as well tell me straight to my face that I'll get over it because I'm young and can find someone else. Maybe that would be better that intentional ignorance." 

She laughed bitterly and continued, "Or when people do ask, they ask if we were close or not, like they're debating how sorry they should feel for me. Of course we were close, he is- _was_ my boyfriend. He was my best f*cking friend and you ask me that?"

They both fell silent, and Safiya let out a loud sigh, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "I'm sorry," she whispered, staring at the ground. "You didn't need to hear all of that. I shouldn't have said anything. You came to visit your girlfriend, not to hear my ranting."

"No, it's good to let it all out." He took a step back and said, "I should head home, it's getting late. You should too, you shouldn't be out here after dark. Want me to walk you home?" She shook her head. "I'm going to stay for a little longer, I'll be okay."

Matt nodded before leaving her alone with her thoughts. "I'll miss you," she said softly, sucking in her lower lip. "I hope you know that."

The graveyard was still for a few minutes, rain pouring down even harder as she stared at the grave, expecting an answer. A soft breeze blew past, ruffing her hair. "But I also hate you," Safiya whispered. "I hate you for leaving me here."

Silence only aggravated her and she screamed, "Why? Why did you leave? I loved you, damnit!"

Safiya had so much more to say, wanted to spit out her grief, helplessness and rage. But that wouldn't fix anything. Nothing could reverse death, no matter how miserable it made her feel. Tears pinpricked her eyes as the leaves rustled on a nearby tree before continuing, "I should go."

Turning her back, she walks away, eyes avoiding the moss-covered graves and dead flowers as they crunched beneath her feet. The gates to the cemetery creak as she opens them and she stepped out, exhaling as she gazed out onto the streets of her home.

Rarely was this place pretty. It was all grey brick and black asphalt, with power lines stretched between buildings. Practically every building and house had solar panels attached.The prettiest Five ever got was near the wind turbines at the edge of the district. Safiya guessed the area surrounding the lake and hydropower plant would be nice but it was concealed by forest and only authorized personnel were allowed there so she had never seen it. Sometimes wildflowers grew there. There were tall trees at the edges of the fields, where the forest began. It was a pretty sight until birds flying by got caught in the spinning blades of the turbines, filling that lush green field with bird carcasses. It was especially bad during the migration season.

Anyway, enough about dead bodies, she had been surrounded by a good amount of them. Shaking her head, Safiya almost didn't see someone lurking close by and nearly bumped into them.

"I figured I'd find you here," the shadow said, revealing herself to be Alana. "Why are you trying to find me?" she questioned. "I don't even know you other than you being famous and sh*t." The Victor flinched and answered, "Well, I come by every once in a while to pay my respects. Makes me feel less guilty about failing children and being a part of the reason why they died." Alana forced a pained smile. "But that's just life of being a survivor of a barbaric system."

"Oh."

"Mhmm. Oh, and before I forget." She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small box wrapped with ribbon, along with a card. "Happy late birthday. Your boyfriend's family wanted to give it to you themselves, but they weren't really up for it." She gulped. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I failed, I know he meant a lot to you." Safiya reached out hesitantly and murmured, "It's not your fault. You tried your best. He did too. That's all I could've asked for."

Alana replied sardonically, "Try telling that to the same person who fails two children for 8 years straight, including your boyfriend, and who also happens to be a murderer. See if you could still say that to me. I bet you wouldn't." The younger girl winced, and Alana apologized, "Sorry, that was harsh. I should uhh...go pay my respects. It was nice meeting you." 

The mentor opened the gate and Safiya decided to open the box first. She untied the ribbon cautiously and took off the lid, finding a blue threaded bracelet with two orange beads and a silver one in between them. She looked up and shouted,"Wait!" The Victor turned on her heel, and Safiya said, "Thank you."

"It's not me you should be thanking." Alana managed a half smile as she opened up the birthday card. 

_ Happy birthday, Saf! _

There was more writing, but she couldn't bring herself to read the rest, seeing at the bottom were the words, 'Love you and I'll see you later.' A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it, and all at once she felt herself cave in, the reality of it all of a sudden becoming too much to bear. 

The worst gifts were always the ones that were the last. When your days together were gone, never able to get them back. 

And it was always those nevers that hurt the most. 


End file.
